Ditch burning, calf photos and tree

Rain didn't come until 6 pm. I was able to burn the rest of my ditch this afternoon as the wind was light.

I checked on the calves today.  No new calves.   I noticed the cattle has pushed in one of the loading corral runway fence panels.

I walked around the corral looking for all the calves.  I was one calf short.  Then I looked in the loading corral runway and found the missing calf.

I saw these two calves laying together.  I went and got my camera as the calf on the left was laying right against the calf on the right.  His head was on the other calf's shoulder and under her head and neck.  Pretty view.  Initially I thought it was the last calf who was born as I couldn't see the ear tag.  Of course when I came back the left calf woke up and raised his head up.  No it wasn't the last born calf.

The last born calf is fine.  Every time I checked on him he was in a different part of the corral.  So he is moving around.  Sometimes laying next to his mother.  Other times elsewhere.

This is a female box elder tree.   The bark was peeling away at this location. I removed the bark.  Under the bark and against the tree were box elder bugs.  This is where they hide!   And on female box elder trees, not male box elder trees.

Burning the ditch

After we were done with the new calf Donna and Michael left.  Since the wind was light and in the right direction I decided to start burning the ditch.  I usually do it every Spring but last Spring I got sidetracked on other projects.  Then it was either rainy or very windy.  Then the grass greened up and really grew.  So I didn't burn the ditch last year.

I got the ditch north of the driveway burnt.  This needs it the most as there are long needled evergreen trees near the ditch and they shed some of their needles and pinecones into the ditch.  I also burnt the ditch south of the driveway.  Or half of it as I only made it down to the gate area.  It was too late to burn the rest of the ditch.

South of the driveway

This week is forecast to be cooler and with a chance of rain or snow every day.  Who knows when I can get the rest of the ditch burnt.

2025: Calf 11 - 40's

This morning I found another new calf in the corral.  A bull calf.  A clean and big calf.  He must have been born late last night or very early this morning.

I called Donna and also Michael. Since I only got his voicemail I figured he was still at work on the train and out of town.   I had Donna come over at 3 pm.  A few minutes later Michael showed up.  He had just gotten in on the train and was now off work.  So Michael helped me band and ear tag the calf.  It wasn't hard to do.

After we were done the calf just laid there flat.  Often calves like to jump up and leave after banding or ear tagging.  He was also breathing heavily.  Michael lifted his head up.

Michael got the calf up to stand for a photo.  But the calf fought and eventually laid down.

The calf also let his tongue partially hand out of his mouth.  Once or twice his eyes rolled back.  We rubbed him and talked to him to get him to be active.  He then sat up as he laid there.  Earlier in the morning the calf seemed normal.  He sat up as he laid and no tongue out of his mouth when I first saw him in the morning..

We thought the heavy breathing may be because the calf was too warm laying in the sun, so Michael and I got the calf to walk over to a shady area.  His mom came closer as she was hanging back as we were with the calf.  His breathing was a little slower but still fast.  Michael and I watched him for a while.  After a while he stood up and peed.  So we figured he had drank milk from his mother after he was born.  The mother stood around so the calf could drink.  He wandered around a bit, check the udder, but didn't really drink.  Maybe he had drank before we arrived and was still full.

He is a very big calf.  Bigger than any of the other calves born this year. The mother is average sized.  I wonder if it was a long and difficult birth.  As a result the calf is a little on the slow side. And boy calves seem to start out slower than girl calves just after their birth.  I'll keep an eye on him and check on hm tomorrow.

Start of harrowing and extended corral build

Spring is coming off and on.  Earlier this week our temperatures were high for three days.  One day even set a record high temperature at 71 degrees. The last few days our temperatures are now back to normal.

The grass was starting to green. I had planned on putting out one more large hay bale in the pasture before setting up the extended corral.  But the recent warm temperatures sped up the grass growing. Every day was much greener.  Now the cows were spending some time nibbling at the fresh grass and not always eating the hay.  Not good to wait three more days to set up the extended corral.  The gras needs to get a start growing.

But before I can set up the extended corral I first need to put the harrow together and then harrow the NE pasture.  I need to get the harrow into the north pasture before the extended corral is set up.  Assembling the harrows went slower than expected.  I thought I would be done yesterday but it then rained much of the afternoon.  I finished assembling the harrow this afternoon.   In the past some harrow sections would come apart by the time I was done so I spent more time and effort chaining sections together.

Harrowing the NE pasture went well.  Partway through I had a short time of rain and graupel.  In the photo below you can see the harrowing areas before and after the rain and graupel.  There wasn't much of the moisture but the little that fell made a difference.  I also harrowed the fruit tree area.

Once the NE pasture was done I went out to the north pasture and harrowed where the extended corral would be, and a little bit of the north pasture.  The photo below shows the manure and snow I had pushed out of the corral earlier this Winter.  Almost all of our snow is gone.  But this was a huge pile of snow, and the manure slowed the melting down.

Then off to make the extended corral.  The past few years I made the extended corral a little smaller each year.  The reason is that the cattle obsess with eating all the grass until there is nothing left.  And that is even with all the hay for them to eat.  Making the extended corral smaller allows the grass to slowly come back in the previous year's extended corral.  I don't need a large extended corral.  The only reason for the extended corral is a place to put the large hay bale.  When I put out a new hay bale the cattle are kept in the corral so they won't get in the way or get hurt when I put out a new bale.

The extended corral is done and now time to let the cattle out to the hay.  And time for them to stop mooing at me to hurry up with my work.

While the other calves run around to check out the extended corral this calf is already starting to eat a little hay with the big cows.

Some of the rest of the calves.  The newest three calves still spent time laying and sleeping and they were still laying in the corral.

I'll see if tomorrow I will continue to harrow the hayfield and other pastures. The ground is still moist and often I could see a little indentation from the tractor tires.  I may wait a few more days.

Cattle photos and Willow tree trimming

No new calves today.

Here are a few photos of the cattle resting in the corral this morning.  The calves were all sleeping soundly.

I trimmed some branches off the willow trees along the river.   My fencing around the tree trunks are working as I now have made it two years without the beavers chewing on these trees.   Prior to the beavers the trees were a trunk with branches to the side.  When the trees recovered they shot up numerous branches.  It is hard to get just a single branch up to become a tree trunk.  The trees are now more like bushes than a typical tree.  To help the trees to become more like trees I trimmed some of the branches off.  Over time - years - I may get the trees to become more like a tree than a bush.  I don't want to cut most of the branches in one year as a single branch left could get damaged by the wind if the branch isn't accustomed to bend in the wind by itself if it hasn't done it before.

Before and after photos.  From a distance the trees similar in the before and after photos.

One of the four trees in the above photo.

Another tree further down the river.   Before and after.

Close up view of the trunk after I trimmed some branches.  Prior to my trimming there were more branches than open space, and a number of branches inside the fence.  It took time to trim the branches.

Some of the branches cut.

2025: Calf 10 - 62's

Early this afternoon cow 62 had a calf.  A little before 2 pm I saw her walk out into the middle pasture and around for a bit.  She was by herself.  All the rest of the cows were laying near the corral in the north pasture.  I knew something was up and she would have a calf that afternoon.  Before 3pm I looked and saw a new calf.  She had a heifer calf.   Later in the afternoon, after I put out another large hay bale, I then ear tagged the new calf.

Less than an hour old.  The calf has been licked off but her fur was still wet.  The calf was able to get up to drink from her mother but her legs were still a little wobbly.   The mother stared at me as I approached to check if the calf was a boy or girl.

Late afternoon when I went to ear tag the calf.  The mother had gotten rid of most of her afterbirth and was now eating it. 

Before the ear tag.  As you can see the calf's fur was now dry.

After the new ear tag.

2025: Calf 9 - Lightning Picasso's

This morning I found a new calf in the loafing shed.  Born early this morning.  A heifer.  The calf was pretty calm and I was easily able to ear tag the calf all by myself.   No sense calling Donna to come help me in the mud as it rained yesterday and overnight.

The mother, Lightning Picasso, was born March 18, 2021.  4 years old. She has gotten big. 

Here is Lightning Picasso when she was born.   My friend Patti (RIP) saw the white by the ear tag above the calf's eye and said the calf looked like a Picasso painting.  Lightning Picasso it is.   

'Lightning Picasso' seems to be a good name for the calf.

Today.

While Lightning Picasso and her calf chilled out in the corral all day, the rest of the cattle and calves stayed together out in the north pasture.   By evening Fritz and the four cows who haven't had their calves yet were at the hay feeder.  The rest of the cows and their calves were elsewhere in the pasture.  The previous born calf and her mother were by themselves.  The rest of the cows and calves hung out together elsewhere.

Bird nest and Piriformis Syndrome

No new calves today.

I found an old bird nest yesterday under a tree by the well pump's house.  The bird had gathered some of the tarp shreds from last year before I was able to rake and get rid of all of it.

My Piriformis Syndrome seems to have gone.  I had 6 days of steroids and 7 days of muscle relaxant.  By the third day on the meds the syndrome pain started to ease, and day by day got better.  A few days later I went to one physical therapy session.  I had been doing some exercises I found on YouTube for the syndrome.  The physical therapist gave me four more exercises to do.  By the time I saw my doctor the next week I was mostly fine.  But sitting waiting to be called back, then more sitting and waiting for the doctor after I saw the nurse, the piriformis pain started up.  It had been mostly gone and now back?  I came to the conclusion that sitting with a wallet and checkbook in my rear pants pocket on the left side was causing the reappearance of the pain.  The doctor agreed with my assessment.  I moved the wallet and checkbook to my right rear pocket and the pain went away later.  The piriformis pain had been only on my left side and not on my right side.  So far since then no more pain.  And I haven't been doing the exercises the past few days as I forgot to.   With the pain before I had way cut back on my bicycle riding.  I'm starting to ride a little more now.   I hope the piriformis syndrome doesn't come back.  

The first week I had the syndrome I met a guy who had the priformis syndrome a few years ago.  He had it for eight months.  Doctors, medicines, physical therapy, and it didn't get better.  As he was trying anything he saw a massage therapist even though he wasn't convinced that would work.  And that did.  The massage therapist made the syndrome disappear.

2025: Calf 8 - 90's

These calves keep coming.  Most years it seems as if a few are born, then a few days pass, then another one or two are born, then days pass.  I'm not complaining.   The sooner the calves are born, the better.

The calf is another boy.   Another beautiful calf.

We had snow overnight and in the morning. It melted by mid-afternoon.

Donna came over after 4 pm to help me band and ear tag the new calf.  We're getting old.  It takes us longer and slower to move; especially when the calf wants to move.   It took us a bit to get the calf banded and ear tagged.  The calf peed on my leg.